Magnetic assembly for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A magnetic assembly having an elongated member wrapped in an aluminum coil and covered with an insulation spray is mounted to a vehicle and connected to a power source of the vehicle in order to pick up metal objects from a ground surface. The elongated member is mounted to the vehicle by a hitch that is adjustable and has a leveling system in order to raise and lower the elongated member as well keep the elongated member level in relation to the ground surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/979,850, filed Feb. 21, 2020, the contents of this application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a magnetic assembly and more particularly a magnetic assembly for a vehicle.

Metal debris in roadways, ditches and fields can cause damage to vehicles. Tires can be punctured by nails, mower blades dented or broken by metal stakes or spikes, and similar hazards are well-known in the art. Sometimes, the metal debris is left behind from an accident.

To clear the metal debris is time consuming and labor intensive. Typically, one or more individuals must manually remove the debris from an area, which sometimes is difficult to see. Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a solution to this problem.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a magnetic assembly that is able to quickly remove metal debris from an area.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a magnetic assembly that reduces the amount of labor needed to remove debris from an area.

These and other objectives will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art based upon the following written description, drawings and claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A magnetic assembly includes an elongated member that is wrapped in an aluminum coil and is covered with an insulation spray. The elongated member is mounted to a vehicle by a hitch that is adjustable and has a leveling system. The aluminum coil is connected to a power source on the vehicle. Optionally, the elongated member is encased within a housing having a base, end walls, and side walls.

In one example of the hitch a tongue is connected to the vehicle at one end and to an axel at the opposite end. The axel is supported at opposite ends by a pair of wheels. The elongated member is pivotally connected to the axel by a first pair of brackets. Also connected to the axel by a second pair of brackets is a plastic member that is positioned below the elongated member. To assist in lifting the elongated member away from the plastic member a handle is attached to the top of the elongated member.

Connected to the elongated member and extending forwardly of the elongated member are spring loaded tines. In addition, or alternatively, hardened bristles are connected to and extend forwardly of the elongated member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a magnetic assembly;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a magnetic assembly; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a magnetic assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the Figures, a magnetic assembly 10 is attached to a vehicle 12. The vehicle 12 is of any type such as a mower, tractor, truck, street sweeper, road grader, or the like. The magnetic assembly 10 includes at least one elongated metal tube, plate or cylinder 14 wrapped tightly in aluminum coil 16. The aluminum coil 16 is then covered in a layer of insulation spray 18.

In one example, the magnetic assembly 10 includes three spaced metal cylinders 14 mounted within a housing 20. The housing 20 has a base 22, end walls 24, and side walls 26. The spaced cylinders 14 are tightly wrapped with aluminum coil 16 and include a layer of sprayed insulation 18.

The magnetic assembly 10 preferably is mounted at the rear of the vehicle 12 in any conventional manner. The aluminum coil 14 is connected to a power source 28 that preferably provides direct current with more amperage than voltage. The power source 28 is of any type such as a PTO, a vehicle battery or electrical system, a generator attached to the vehicle 12 or the like. In one example the magnetic assembly 10 is connected to the front of the vehicle 12 with an adjustable hitch 30 having a levelling system to not only keep the magnet assembly 10 level but make it easier to raise and lower.

One example of the hitch includes a tongue 32 that is connected to an axel 34 that is supported by wheels 36 at each end of the axel 34. A first pair of brackets 38 are pivotally connected to the axel 34 at one end and to the magnet assembly 10 at the opposite end. A second pair of brackets 40 are connected to a plastic member 42 that is positioned underneath and engages the magnet assembly 10 in a manner where the magnet assembly 10 attracts objects to a bottom surface of the plastic member 42. Attached to the top of the magnet assembly 10 or the housing 20 is a handle 44. Using the handle 44, the magnet assembly is configured to be raised away from the plastic member 42 via the first pair of brackets 38 by manually lifting the handle 44.

Also, spring loaded steel tines 46 can be attached to the axel 34 by a pair of arms and is positioned forward of the magnet assembly 10. The tines assist in breaking up and dislodging material that has become silted or buried in the ground making it easier to pick up the material with the magnet assembly 10. In addition or alternatively hard bristles 48 are positioned forward of the magnet assembly to assist in gathering material to be attracted to the magnet assembly 10.

In operation, the magnetic assembly 10 is mounted to the front of the vehicle 12 and is connected to the power source 28. Once activated, as the vehicle 12 moves forward over a ground surface a magnet force created by the magnetic assembly 10 attracts and retains metal objects on the ground surface.

From the above discussion and accompanying figures and claims it will be appreciated that the magnet assembly 10 offers many advantages over the prior art. It will be appreciated further by those skilled in the art that other various modifications could be made to the device without parting from the spirit and scope of this invention. All such modifications and changes fall within the scope of the claims and are intended to be covered thereby. It should be understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in the light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included in the spirit and purview of this application. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A magnetic assembly, comprising: an elongated member wrapped in an aluminum coil and covered with an insulation spray; the elongated member mounted to a vehicle and the aluminum coil connected to a power source of the vehicle; and wherein the aluminum coil wrapped elongated member is configured to attract metal objects from a ground surface when the power source is activated.
 2. The magnetic assembly of claim 1 further comprising a housing having end walls and side walls that encase the elongated member.
 3. The magnetic assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongated member is connected to the vehicle with an adjustable hitch having a levelling system.
 4. The magnetic assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongated member is connected to the vehicle by a hitch having a tongue connected to an axel that is supported by wheels.
 5. The magnetic assembly of claim 4 wherein the elongated member is connected to the axel by a first pair of brackets that are pivotally connected to the axel.
 6. The magnetic assembly of claim 5 wherein a handle is attached to a top of the elongated member.
 7. The magnetic assembly of claim 4 wherein a plastic member is connected to the axel by a second pair of brackets and is positioned underneath the elongated member.
 8. The magnetic assembly of claim 1 wherein spring loaded tines are connected to and extend forwardly of the elongated member.
 9. The magnetic assembly of claim 1 wherein hard bristles are connected to and positioned forwardly of the elongated member. 